The beauty of Spring!
I’m sitting here at my desk looking out the window onto my garden and am reminded that right now is one of my very favorite times of the year. We’re in the middle of spring and everything is simply glowing with growth and vibrating radiantly with new life. The cherry tomato plants that I can see have little bits of orange and bright red showing ripening fruit in its varying stages. The sunflower next to it is standing tall with big yellow blooms.
As a landscaper, spring is always the busiest time of the year and I’m often so caught up in trying to meet deadlines and rushing from jobsite to client meetings that I don’t remember to take the time to look around at all that springtime in South Central Texas brings. This year I’m trying to do it a little differently. I’ve been studying Zen Buddhism for some time now and therefore trying to practice living a more mindful life so literally stopping and smelling the Roses, the Star Jasmine and all the other lovelies that are blooming right now falls right in line with that mindset.
It seems that as a gardener I’m always looking forward to what will happen next in the garden and the landscape. What veggies next need to be planted, what perennials need pruning next and what’s next on the list of endless garden chores? Not wanting to miss some small window of sowing seeds at just the right time or adding compost to the lawn before it gets too hot, I often miss the details of what’s happening right now at the height of the spring growing season.
The native Vitex trees are in full bloom and come the closest to lilac trees that we’ll see here in this part of the world. The Mesquite trees are just about to burst with their fuzzy golden blooms and when they do the air around them will be heavy with sweet scent and the bees will be rejoicing. The shades of greens that you can see along the roadside this time of year can’t be bested and if you look closely along the rocky hillsides the delicate creamy white blooms of Twisted Leaf Yucca can be seen poking through. And finally one native plant that is often overlooked because of its wicked foliage is the Prickly Poppy with its delicate white bloom and brilliant yellow center.
So, take a moment to look around outside, enjoy the beauty, remember that it is Spring and simply breathe it all in!